Chiral edge state coupling theory of transport in quantum anomalous Hall insulators

The quantum anomalous Hall effect is characterized by a quantized Hall resistance with a vanishing longitudinal resistance.Many experiments reported the quantization of the Hall resistance,which is always accompanied by a non-vanishing longitudinal resistance that is several k?.Meanwhile,the non-vanishing longitudinal resistance exhibits a universal exponential decay with the increase in magnetic field.We propose that the coupling of chiral edge states,which has not been properly evaluated in the previous theories,can give rise to the non-vanishing longitudinal resistance.The coupling between the chiral edges states along the opposite boundaries can be assisted by magnetic domains or defects inside the sample bulk,which has been already identified in recent experiments.Our theory provides a potential mechanism to understand the experimental result in both magnetic topological insulator and moirésuperlattice systems.